


Scorched Sands

by Lady_Vixin



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Gerudo Culture, Gerudo Link, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Young Ganondorf, young Link - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-05-31 15:55:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15122831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Vixin/pseuds/Lady_Vixin
Summary: Pushed from their homelands, hunted by those they once called allies. This is the story of a young boy as he tries to become a great warrior and protect his people.





	1. Prologue

“The desert is now where we reside, kicked out of our homelands by those who we once called allies, the Hylians, and pushed into this barren wasteland. We were a nomadic nation that lived in the very heart of the land now called Hyrule. They came many, many centuries ago claiming they wanted peace, that they had left their homelands due to the never ending wars that were fought there. We welcomed them with open arms. We believed that they truly wanted peace, and perhaps for a time they did. For centuries we thrived together. With them came many exotic plants and their strange brand of magic. It was more complicated than ours, needing rituals and talismans to be used. Still, it was incredibly strong when performed correctly.  
“Before they betrayed us, the Hylians built towns and settlements throughout our land and we let them, helped them even, marveling at the architecture they employed. We traded and learned from each other. Soon, they made their own government and after a while, they withdrew from us, no longer quite as open armed or welcoming. We should have seen it; the glares, the raids on some of our brothers and sisters. We believed them when their king said it was rogue bands of ruffians, that they would take care of it, but we were deceived.  
“Then, on that terrible night they attacked. We were peaceful nomads, crafters, and traders, having no need for extensive training to ward off any attacks in our homelands... our brothers were slaughtered, torn from their families and killed in front of them. Fathers brothers, children, they didn’t care. They murdered each one they got their hands on, claiming that their seers had foreseen one of our brothers would bring Hyrule to its knees… We fled - there was no other option - disguising our remaining brothers and being hunted the whole way. There was a bounty out for Gerudo males. The Hylians chased us deep into the desert, hunting us without mercy. We barely survived, thanks to the strength of our magic.  
“We were able to make a home out here, able to locate a underground reservoir to dig wells to. We built strong walls to keep others out and to keep out remaining families safe. We taught ourselves how to fight and protect our loved ones. We learned to use our once delicate and nimble hands to steal back supplies and essentials for us to continue on. We lived in hiding for many many years, so long in fact that the Hylians believed they had wiped us out.  
“Over the years are magic began to fade and we fell into despair. We believed all was lost until one of our sisters, a brave warrior and one of our more spiritually inclined named Nabooru, decided to try and help our situation. She was going to She was the most magically gifted of her generation so she, along with a few of our youngest and most headstrong brothers and sisters, left on a mission to go to one of our ancestral sacred grounds in the heart of Hyrule to cleanse it and restore our magic. We didn’t hear from that group for a very long time. We almost thought their mission had failed, but then our magic stabilized and we knew that they had succeeded. But they still did not return. Years passed and we mourned the loss of our brothers and sisters who did not come home… until a figure appeared on the horizon, approaching the city in a stumbling but purposeful march.  
“At first we believed one of the ones from the mission was returning home. Some of us went out to greet them but as we reached the figure, we realized they were not Gerudo. Instead, they were a sickly Hylian woman carrying a very young boy. We were wary of course. One does not experience the terrible atrocities that we have and simply forget. Many were questioning how she found our city, how she new we were even out here. Her answer shocked us all. Her name was Hilda, she came to Gerudo Town because of the child she was carrying, whose father was Ralanim, one of our brothers that went on the mission to restore our magic.  
“She told us how most of the group was captured just after the cleansing rituals was completed, how his father escaped but was terribly injured and couldn’t get far. Hilda found him when she was fleeing from her family. She patched him up and they traveled together for some time, falling in love in the process. They stuck together and stayed out of trouble, until a few months prior when news of Nabooru's execution reached them. Ralanim told Hilda he was going to try and save Nabooru and that she should start on her way to Gerudo Town. He did not succeed in the rescue mission or reach the rendezvous point. Hilda fled and made her way to us in hopes of refuge, knowing that her child was less likely to be killed due to its fathers blood in Gerudo town.  
“Despite our concerns, we weren’t going to send her back into the desert. We took her and her child in and tried to nurse her back to health. In return for the shelter and care they received, Hilda taught those of us that could learn everything she knew about Hylian magic. She wrote down everything she could think of that we could use and taught us the spells and wards we now use to protect our city from detection. At first we did not trust her. We didn’t let her cast her wards, we didn’t listen to her lessons, keeping our distance. She seemed to know this was going to happen and she had accepted the fact. Still, she strived to help us, not caring that we pushed her away. Just when we began to trust her, call her sister and accept her help, tragedy struck. The sickness she had been fighting off during her journey here made a re-appearance she didn’t have the strength to fight it off a second time. Hilda died soon after, she was the first Hylian the Gerudo trusted after the massacre, and in her honor we made this school to teach you young ones how to harness and control your gifts, to become strong enough to protect this city when the rest of us have passed on.  
“Throughout those years our magic began to fade. It was very different all those years ago. It was strong and we used it to do many things; encourage crops to grow, heal most any ailment, make dry wells run again. Now it’s weak. We can barely use it to do anything. Those who can still wield it use it for tricks and show. But with the knowledge this school has to offer, you will learn to combine the power of Hylian magic with the versatility of our ancient practices.”  
The old woman paused in her speech momentarily to look out across the group of children kneeling in front of her. Settling on a pair of bright blue-green eyes, she held their gaze. The young boy sat up strater under her scrutiny. He was different from his brothers and sisters, having paler skin and strawberry blonde hair instead of the usual red hair and darker skin. Sure signs of his hylian blood. Slowly tearing her eyes away, the old woman continued.  
“Those of you here are the most magically gifted of your generation. Please do your best to live up to our expectations and keep our city safe when the time comes! I am Buliara, your magic teacher, you will find that I am a heavy taskmaster and will not accept anything but your best. That being said, welcome to Hilda's Memorial Academy!”


	2. CHAPTER 1

The heat of the late afternoon sun beat relentlessly down on the desert city. Any sane person would be inside resting, away from the scorching heat. That's exactly what Riju, the Chieftess of the Gerudo tribe was doing, sleeping away the midday sun, when a loud crash and childish laughter coming from the courtyard below startled her from her nap. Riju bolted upright and glanced at the sleeping mats beside hers to find them empty of the children she had placed there before she fell asleep. Another crash and peal of laughter had her leaping to her feet and darting onto the balcony overlooking the courtyard to see what damage her errant sons had caused this time. Out in the courtyard playing in the shade she spotted them, her two sons, Ganondorf and Link. Ganon wrestled with a rather large lizard, rolling about and knocking over the potted plants, while Link giggled and danced around after his brother, trying to show off the shiny beetle he had caught. Yet another pot crashed to the ground as Gannon finally managed to subdue his prey. Both children began jumping around triumphantly, hoisting their prizes above their heads, giggling even harder. 

“WHAT do you think you are doing!?” At her voice both children froze then turned slowly to look up at their mother. She quirked an eye at them and gave them her most disapproving frown. After a moment of staring up at her, both children simultaneously turned and made to escape the courtyard, shrieking with laughter and clinging tightly to the creatures they had captured. Giving a small curse Riju gave chase, swinging around the corner just in time to see Link and Gannon hoisted into the air by the scruff of their shirts at the hands of Nuneti, the captain of the guard. The boys give small yelps of surprise. The lizard gave a mighty wriggle and escaped from Gannons grasp, scrabbling back into the courtyard. The irate Gerudo woman held the boys at eye level and although she couldn't hear exactly was said, Riju knew they were being heavily berated for causing such a ruckus while people were sleeping. Nuneti brought them to Riju and set her sons down in front of her. She fixed them with another disappointed stare while Nuneti bid her farewell and good luck then continued on with her duties. The boys wilted under her stare and Link clutched his beetle protectively to his chest.

“What were you two doing? The sun is high, it’s not safe to play outside right now you should be sleeping.” She said as she picked Link up and grabbed Ganondorf's hand to lead him back home. 

“We were hunting, I was gonna show you I am ready to be a big warrior…” Ganondorf said as they got inside “I caught a lizard, aunty Nuni made me drop it tho” she sat them down by her sleeping mat and got a bowl of water and a rag to wipe off the dirt, tisking when she found the scuffs and scrapes that Ganondorf gained while wrestling with the lizard. 

“A warrior knows better than to hunt when the sun is high, he also knows not to take his younger brother out on hunting trips without his Mama's permission” at Ganondorf's crestfallen face she sighed, ”Don’t you worry son, you only have a year more till you get your first blade and begin training” 

Wounds tended to and dirt free, she scooted Link over to sit in front of Ganondorf and of handed Ganondorf a comb to brush out Links messy mane while she tried to do the same for him. Smiling softly as she watched Ganondorf attempt to braid Links hair, his young fingers not quite dexterous enough to imitate the delicate braids she would do for his own hair. She notices Links head bobbing and Ganondorf's stifled yawn, the beetle finally freeing itself from Link's sleepy fingers, and scuttling away when the boy turned and curled up on Ganondorf's lap to sleep. She draws both of her boys into her lap and starts humming a soft lullaby, thinking on what the future would bring for these adventurous boys.

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to my fabulous Beta reader RowanFalls for her help in translating my jumbled mess into a understandable story!!
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed it so far, this is my first attempt at a fic so if there is anything you think I could do better feel free to let me know. As of yet there is no schedule for chapter release dates but Ill do my best to get that done as soon as I get the hang of writing!


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